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My Life Story
I look back on the last 20 years of my life ever since I graduated
from high school. June 3, 2012 will make 20 years to the day since I graduated
from high school. I graduated from Hawaiian Mission Academy on June 3, 1992 at
16 years old. As the date slowly gets here, I look back to remember what I have
done for the last 20 years. Sometimes I feel like I just woke up from a deep
sleep and wonder what did I really accomplish. This is a brief version of my story.
Humble Beginnings
My name is Jeffrey Daniel Ah Sam. I was born on Sunday, August 10,
1975. I am the fourth child in a family of six children total. Even though I
was born in Pago Pago, AS, I grew up in Los Angeles, San Francisco, CA and
Kailua, HI. I was set to graduate from a high school in South San Francisco,
but my dad decided to uproot the family and we ended up moving here to Hawai’i
in 1991 during the middle of my senior year.
School
History
As soon as I graduated from high school, I was given an option to
either go to University of Hawai’i (UH) or to go to American Samoa. The last
time I have been in Samoa was when I was four years old. I decided I needed to
rediscover my roots. So for the next two years, I attended American Samoa
Community College (ASCC). I graduated with an Associate of Arts degree in May
1994.
Early
Work History
In 1997, I decided to join the workforce. I started
working as a customer service representative at Reno Air / American Airlines
for the next two years. During that time I took the opportunity to travel since
that is one of my passions. I went to places like Miami, St. Thomas, and even
to Washington D.C.
I moved back to Hawai’i in 2000 to help take care of my mom who
was sick. I ended up working at a travel agency since I had experience working
in the airline industry. During this time, I took trips to Australia, Fiji,
Japan and Thailand.
Beginnings
of a Career Change
In 2007, I had a career change. The travel industry was not as
attractive to work in anymore due to the direction it was going. Travel
incentives were getting cut. In addition, I was getting bored. I needed some
kind of challenge.
One of my friends had a nephew that was diagnosed with Asperger’s
Syndrome. He came to me and had asked me if I could be like a big brother and
help him with simple living skills. So I signed up with Nursefinders.
Nursefinders found out that I have an AA degree so they asked me if I would be
interested in working with elementary students. At first, I did not want to
because I did not feel I would be comfortable doing that kind of job. However,
after working my first case, I decided that I liked doing this. As 2008 summer
came along, I decided I needed to find another job to supplement my job at
Nursefinders. School was out of session and I needed to keep on working. So, I
applied at agencies with similar type of jobs. That is how I discovered Care
Hawai’i. They assigned me to a residential shelter in Makakilo and Waipahu.
That is where I worked for the next two years.
As I worked with Nursefinders and Care Hawai’i, I discovered
something inside of me that I have not felt in years. That is the passion of
working with others. When I looked back on the types of jobs I had, I
discovered they all amounted to one thing – helping others. I also compared my
jobs with something I was doing since I was a child, and that was babysitting. I
used to babysit my younger sisters. Eventually, I started babysitting my older
sibling’s children. Even to this day, I find myself babysitting my cousin’s
five children. However, I find that I love kids so it does not bother me one
bit that I am with them. So essentially, these jobs I had were just another
form of babysitting. I say that because I used to watch over one of my friend’s
grandmother. I would feed her, make available her medication, and just play
cards with her until her grandson picked her up.
Looking
Toward Higher Education
I decided at one point, I would go back to school and see how far
up the ladder I can go. I did not want to work hard and find myself at the
bottom of the totem pole. I re-enrolled myself at HPU and signed up for their Social
Work program. However, the advisor told me that I would be graduating in 2013
being that I was going to school part-time. I did not like that. University of
Hawai’i was not an option because they did not offer any type of flexibility in
terms of scheduling.
In 2009, I decided to try with the University of Phoenix. My mom
just graduated from the school in 2007 and one of my really good friends had
also just signed up. I went to the meeting with the advisor, and I was told
that I could graduate in 2012. I took a look at the schedule and decided that
one night a week, for four hours would work well for me. So I signed my life
away.
Enrolling at University of Phoenix turned out to be one of the
best decisions I made. At times during the school, I had many ups and downs and
there were times I just wanted to give up. However, I told myself, I am almost
done and I will give it one more try. At UOP, our BSHS program required us to
complete three different field experiences.
Volunteer Experience / Field Experience
Here is a list of my volunteer experiences that I completed while
enrolled at UOP. These were part of a requirement I needed to fulfill in order
to graduate.
My first internship was at Halawa Correctional Facility. When I
first seen this on the list, I was kind of excited and nervous at the same
time. I did not know what to expect.
Halawa
Correctional Facility, Intern
August
2010 – January 2011
·
I
assisted inmates to prepare for a transition from prison to the community. Many
inmates were leaving prison so I helped them find resources to half-way houses
or find a job.
·
I lead group
sessions. Each Tuesday and Thursday, a group session for the mental inmates in
Ward C to assist inmates cope with being in prison and how to interact
appropriately in a community.
·
My supervisors
and I would visit inmates in the Special Holding Unit (SHU). My supervisor
would visit each inmate and attempt to find out what the prisoner’s mental
status would be like.
For more detail what I did each day, please refer to BSHS 341 Daily
Journal.
My second
field experience was at Assistive Technology Resource Centers of Hawai’i. I was
very humbug when I could not continue my field experience at the prison. Here
is a little of what I did while there.
Assistive
Technology Resource Center of Hawai’i, Technology Assistant
March
2011 - present
·
I trained
physically disabled folks on assistive devices and computers. I also used the
internet to search for assistive devices that will benefit clients with
physical disabilities. I also demonstrated the device for them once they
purchased the device.
·
I assisted with
instructing computer classes. Many clients wanted to know how to use a computer
to email, browse the internet, and how to use different social media such as
Facebook, Twitter, and Google +.
For more
detail what I did at this field experience, please see BSHS 411 – Daily
Journal. I should also note that as I was getting ready to leave this agency,
the boss decided to hire me as a part-time employee where I am today.
Last but not least, is my third and final field experience. This
time, I found a place where I can stay
near school and does not require too much travel time.
Partners
In Development Foundation, Hui Ho’omalu Program
February
2012 – March 2012
·
Recruiting
potential families at community events
·
Interviewing
families who recently were approved to become foster parents / caregivers.
Calling potential families who wanted to become foster
parents to make sure fostering children was something they really wanted to do.
·
Organizing client folders
Following up with the clients to make sure they turned in
the requirements needed to approve their request.
For more detail what I did at this field experience, please see
BSHS 491 – Daily Journal.
Extracurricular Activities
During the time of being enrolled at school, I heard on the news
that there was going to be a casting call for the newly remade Hawai’i 5-0. I
decided to take my nephews and nieces with me. I did not think we were going to
make it on the show. However, I received a call that I was going to be casted.
After one shoot, I decided to see what else I can get into. Off the Map,
another television show just started filming. I sent in my information and was
called for it.
Other movie and television projects I have worked on include
Battleship, Journey to the Center of the Earth 2: Mysterious Island, and Cougar
Town. During this time, I met a great deal of wonderful people. I am also a
member of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA)
union. The only benefit of joining the union is a higher pay rate.
Future Plans
As June 2012 gets closer, I look back and see everything I have
done. I seem to be content with everything. There are a few regrets, but life
is too short to wallow in that.
My next step is finding a graduate school to work on a Master’s
degree. I am not quite sure what I would like to specialize in just yet. I have
a few choices about which school I would like to attend. One choice is at
University of Southern California (USC). If for some reason USC does not work
out, my other option would be HPU. I have not decided yet which field of study
I am going to pursue. I know that I will be possibly looking at Counseling or
Social Work. No matter which field I choose, I just have to remind myself of my
personal mission statement.
Personal Mission Statement
I am committed to educate, motivate, and empower anyone I can to
get them on their feet so they may live respectable lives.
I am about helping others succeed. Schools like UOP did what it
could to help me succeed. There are countless many others who also did what
they could to help me succeed. It is now time for me to pay it forward and help
someone else succeed and accomplish their dreams. Most clients will not always
want to attend college, or work. Most have the desire to just lead a normal
life and to be treated as normal. As long as I can see that smile on their
face, that would be a reward enough for me.
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I do want to say that I was a University of Phoenix student and I am actually glad that I went through this program. I hope that I will be successful in the long run. =)
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